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i. l. CONNOLLY. INTERNAL comausnou Creams.

APPLICATION FILED WLYIK 19H.

1,312,387. Patented Aug. 5,1919.

WITNESS.

. matic inter-cylinder firing inder in which JOHN J; GONNOLLY, OF PITTSBURGH,

THOMAS H. FLYNN,

PENNSYLVANIA, nssmaoii or mroxvznma, rmmsynvamn, mm ONE-THIRD (T0 mum:

or ONE-THIRD To A, GALLAGHER, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

mrnmunconsusrmn ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5,1919.

inimum filed July as, i915. Serial No. 41,445.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. CONNOLLY,B citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Pittsburgh, in the. county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Internal Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain new and useful improvements in internal combustion engines and it particularly relates to means for igniting the fuel charges in the engine cylinders.

The object in view is the provision of automeans whereby of combustion the products thenext cylinder in rogresi nite in turn s1on .thus neto or other exterior igniting and timing apparatus which is costly to install, adds materially to the weight, and requires frequent and skilled attention to maintain it in elficient operation. i p

1 effect these objects by connectin each cylinder by means of a passage with t e cylthe next charge is to be exploded in such a manner that the products of the explosion in the first named c linder will inturn ignite the charge in t e last named cylinder. The result is the progres-. sive explosion of all the cylinders intheir proper sequence, means being provided to prevent back firing through said passages.

.In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is alongitudinal, vertical section vof a six cylinder internal combustion engine em bodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, reversed from the position shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in section along the line III-III in 2. i he following is' a detailed description of the. drawings.

A A A", A, A, and A, represent the cylinders of the internal combustion engine which, for the sake of illustration are assumed to be ignited in. quence A, A", A A, A and A 1 represents the water jackets.

B B B B, B and B are the pistons reciprocating in cylinders A, A, A, A, A and A", respectively,

piston rods 2 with the crank shaft C. 3 repin a cylinder doing away with the use 0 a mag- V action.

the following seconnected by means of resents the fuel inlet valve and l the'exhaust valve of each cylinder. y t

In the lower wall of each cylinder is a port 5 which is exposed by the piston as the same approaches its outermost position while 6 is a port cylinder above the innermost position of the piston. The port 5 of each cylinder is connected to the port 6 of the cylinder next to be fired by means of a suitable passage, as for instance the copper tube 7 8 is a check valve in the tube 7 adjacent to the portli to prevent back firing through the passage. 7

here the cylinder charges are to be ignited in the order above.indicated, the port 5 of cylinder A is connected to the port 6 of cylinder A the port 5 of cylinder is connected to the port 6 of the cylinder A" port 5 of cylinder A 'iscOnnected to the port 6 of the cylinder A; the port 5= of the cylinder A is connected to the port 6 of the cylinder A; the port- 5 of the cylinder A is connected to the port 6 of the cylinder A and the port 5 of the cylinder A? is connected to the port 6 of the cylinder A. The length of the passages or pipes 7 should be equal.

9 represents an electric spark plug pro vided forone or more of the cylinders for startin purposes. But one of said spark plu 15 required, butI prefer to provide additional spark plugs to insure positive 'The operation of the invention isas follows, when the engine is Working: Beginning with the cylinder A for the sake of illustration, its piston 13 has uncovered the port 5 on its explosion stroke permitting a portion of the ignited fuel" to pass through the pipe past'the valve 8 enterin per end of the cylinder A througi its. port 6 and i niting the compressed fuel charge in said cy inder. Back firing through the pipe 7 is prevented by the valve 8 so that no power escapes into the cylinder A The port 5.0feach cylinder is positioned to be exposed before the exhaust valve 4: is opened for the scavenging stroke of the piston, while the pressure in the succeeding cylin der holds the valve scavenging stroke in the preceding cylinder, so that there is no admission of the products of combustion from-the preceding cylinder at that time.

in the upper wall of each the aip- 8 in place durmgsuch During the compression stroke of the pismn a certain amount of fuel is driven into the pipe 7 and sealed therein by the ascending iston, so that when the ignited fuel is admitted to the port 5 by the piston descending on the explosi' n stroke, the light charge in pipe 5 will be fired and assist in shooting an igniting flame into the succeeding cylinder.

Vhen the piston B of cylinder A approaches its outermost position on the explosion stroke, the port 5 of said cylinder will be exposed. permitting the flame to ass through to the head of cylinder A in w iich a fuel charge is now compressed, and fires the said charge.

In like manner each cylinder as its piston approaches the outer limit of its explosion stroke will ignite the compressed charge in the cylinder next fired, and such progressive firing will continue as long as fuel is admitted to the cylinders and the quantity or richness of the fuel mixture will govern the rapidity of progressive i nition.

To start the engine I pre er to use a battery or other electric circuit sparking plug which will ignite the initial charge in one of the cylinders and establish the progressive ignition above described.

It is evident that the operation of my engine when once started is automatic,

My invention. which for the sake of illustration, I have shown applied to a six cylinder engine, may be applied to any internal combustion engine with more than one cylinder.

The advantages of my invention are inanifold. The saving in weight is very substantial andthis together with the absence of any electrical mechanism likely to become disarranged by jarring or rough usage especially recommends the invention for automobile and aeroplane use. The use of complicated and expensive mechanism is avoided,- and no technical skill is required to maintain the engine in perfect order. The cost of applying my invention to an internal combustion engine is very small While the ad vantages over the present ignition system are, as has been explained, very substantial.

Although for the sake of clearness, I have minutely described the embodiment of my leading from the invention shown in the drawings, I do not wish to limit myself thereby but claim broadly 1. In an internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of horizontally arranged cylinders, pistons working in said cylinders and an inlet and a scavenging port for each of said cylinders, means for firin said cylinders progressively consisting 0% a passage ower end of each cylinder at a point Within the outermost position of the piston thereof to a point in the compression chamber of the cylinder next in -turn to be tired, all of said passages being of a uniform length, the entrance to said passage from said first named cylinder being open and being exposed by the outward stroke of the piston previously to the opening of the scavenging port of said cylinder, substantially a and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of horizontally arranged cylinders having inlet and exhaust ports therein, pistons working in said cylinders and means for progressively firing said cylinders consisting of passages of equal lengths leading from the lower end of each cylinder at a point within the outermost position of the piston thereof to a point in the compression chamber of h cylinder next in turn to be fired. j

.3. In an. internal combustion engine, the combination of a plurality of horizontally arranged cylinders connected together by passages of e ual lengths leading from a point within t 10 outermost position of th piston in each cylinder to a point in the con. pression chamber of the next cylinder in turn to be fired.

t. In an internal combustion engine the combination of a plurality of horizontally arranged c linders connected together by passages 0 equal lengths leading from a point within the outermost position in each cylinder to a point in the compression chamber of the next cylinder in turn to be fired andmeans for preventing a back fire in said passages.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 22nd day of July, 1915.

JOHN J. CONNOLLY. 

